Where Do Most Commuters Walk to Work?

Maps shows areas where most people walk to work with new census data.

Most people would love to walk to work, but few live close enough to their jobs to do so.

New census data shows which metro areas have the highest share of the population walking to work. Some of the larger, more dense urban areas do employ above-average counts of walk commuters. But it's mid-size towns, particularly in the Midwest and northeastern U.S., where people are most apt to walk to work.

Many of the top areas for walking are home to colleges and universities.

Larger icons in the map below illustrate metro areas with the highest percentage of workers primarily walking to their jobs last year. Open a full-screen interactive version here.

The table below lists the 100 metro areas with the highest percentage of commuters primarily walking to work. Percentages shown are lower than the actual total share of those who walk because of the Census Bureau's methodology. Survey respondents are asked to record a single mode of transportation for the longest distance traveled during their trip, so those walking to rail stations count only as public transportation commuters.